Improvement in automatic telegraph keys and registers



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A MATIC TELEGRAPH KEY AND REGIS .No. 171, Patented .11,1a7e.

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L. S. CRANDALL. AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH KEY AND REGISTER.

No.171,998. Patented Jan.'11,18"76.

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WITNESSES: M.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUCIEN S. ORANDALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPRCVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC TELEGRAPH KEYS AND REGISTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 71,998, dated January11, 1876; application filed November 27, 1875.

v To all whom it may concern horizontal section on the line 3 y, Fig. 3,of

my improved automatic telegraph key and register combined; and Fig. 5shows a bottom view of the letter-ring.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. m

The object of my invention is to construct an improved automatictelegraph. key and register, by which the manual and mental labor I intransmitting telegraphic signals are facilitated and simplified to aconsiderable degree, the working capacity of telegraph-lines increased,and the accurate,reliable, and uniform manipulation of the instrumentacquired by the operator with little instruction and practice. i

The invention has, furthermore, the advan tage of decreasing the numberof instruments and the expense of the outfit ,of telegraph-offices, andsubstituting therefor a compact and reliable instrument.

The invention consists of a letter-rim g, which is divided along-itscircumference by insulated and non-insulated portions andseparating-recesses, to correspond to the characters of the Morsealphabet. A number of springkeys arearranged around the letter-ring, andlettered alphabetically, to correspond with the Morse letters of thering. A bridge or rider at the end of each key forms, when the keyis'depressed, the contact of the letter-ring with one of a series ofneedles or springtongues radiating 'from a vertical shaft that isintermittently actuated by the magnets by a local battery. Theletter-ring and springneedles form the poles of the main-line battery,and record the depressions of the keys by a relay-magnet with anarmature, having lever with recording-stylus at one end, and stop-pawlat the other end. The stop-pawl releases a spring-acted slip-wheel thatthrows, 'a local actuating-battery in circuit, which imparts, by twomagnets with armature-pawls, switch, and governor, intermittent motionto a motor-wheel, connected by a partially-insulated and non-insulatedstop with a recess and spring-rider, or contact of the slip-wheel, bywhich the motion of the motor-wheel and needle-arms may be kept up aftermain-line circuit is interrupted, to register spaces in and betweenletters. arms corresponds with the subdivisions on the letter-ring andthe number of teeth on the motor and slip wheels, to expose at anymoment one of the needles to the action of a key. This correspondencebetween divisions of letter-ring and number of needle-arms, and of teethon motor-wheel, in connection with the intermittent motion of motor,gives a dwell at the points of magnetization and demagnetization ofmain-line circuit. The closing of the main circuit by the key throws thelocal circuit into operation, which revolves the needle-wheel until thelocal circuit is interrupted by the action of the hook-pawl on the slip-Wheel, and the return of the needle through the recess of the letter-ring.

In the drawing, A represents the insulated key-plate of my improvedautomatic key and register, which is supported on suitable posts orstandards, and arranged with the springkeys B, that are placed aroundthe letter-ring G. The keys are marked with the letters of the alphabet,to correspond to the Morse alphabet, arranged in insulated andnon-insulated portions on the letter-ring O, which eucircles aseries ofradial needle arms or tongues, D, that are keyed to a vertical revolvingshaft, D and securely retained and guided in a grooved supporting-disk,D The spring-keys B may be made of anyform, and guided in any suitablemanner, each being provided with an end heel or bridge, a, that bears,on

depressing the key, on the needle, carrying the same downward, andestablishing contact between the lettcr-rin g and needle, which form thepoles of the 'main-line battery. The letter-ring O is divided intoinsulated and noninsulated portions, that correspond to the charactersof the Morse alphabet, each section of the ring that forms one letterbeing The number of needleseparated from the adjoining sections by slotsor recesses b I), through which the particular needle D that chances toget depressed is forced out of its plane and carried below theletter-ring, so as to move or ride over the section of the letter-ring.next following the recess, until allowed to return or spring back to itsnormal plane through the recess at the end of the section. Thedepression of a key closes the main-line circuit, and attracts thearmature of a main-line or relay magnet, E. The armature of therelay-magnet E is affixed to a ful'crumed lever, E whose one end isprovided with a registering-stylus, while the other end forms a hook orstop-pawl, that engages the teeth of a slip-wheel, F, that slidesloosely on vertical shaft D The attraction of armature of main-linerelay E brings stylus on registering-drum, and records the dots anddashes thereon, according to the non-insulated portions of theletter-ring, while the hookpawl releases, at the same time, theslip-wheel F, which is acted upon by a spiral spring, d,

and carried forward against an insulated stop, 0, of the motor-wheel G,arranged' below the slip-wheel F. The stop 6 extends through a recess,d, of the slip-wheel, and forms contact with a spring-rider, f, of thesame. A centralmetallio part of stop 0, of greater length than theinsulated ends, passes through the stop to the motor-wheel G, theslip-wheel and spring-rider forming one pole, the motorwheel and stopthe other pole, of a local battery. The motor-wheel G is operated bypawls G that engage the teeth of the same at diametrically-oppositepoints.

The pawls G are attached to the vibrating armature G of two magnets, H,in the local circuit, which are alternately thrown into circuit toproduce intermittent motion of the armature by a switch, L, that isoperated by an insulated governing-arm of the armature. The armature Gof magnets H of the local battery is further provided with anupwardextending arm, 'I, which carries a sliding weight, adjustablethereon by a set-screw, said Weighted arm serving as governor toregulate the speed of the magnetic impulses of the armature, the samebeing slower when the weight is higher, and quicker when the Weight islower. By retarding the speed of the armature the messages may be takenby sound, but, for most purposes, the direct registering of the messageson the drum is to be preferred on account of the greater rapidity oftransmission.

The function of the local battery consists, mainly, in revolving themotor-wheel shaft and needles as soon as the local circuit isestablished by the release of the armature-pawl of the main-line magnet,(but it may also be made to actuate a separate recording-stylus orsounder by interposin g suitable mechanism and connections.) This admitsthe forward motion of the needle-wheel to a limited distance after themain circuit is broken, producing thereby the passing of the depressedneedle over the-letterring. The traveling of the needle along the longeror shorter insusulated or non-insulated portions of the letterringregisters the Morse characters with separating spaces.

The corresponding of the number ofneedles with the divisions of theletter-ring and, the

number of teeth of the motor and slip wheels I produces the uniformmotion of the needles, which motion is continued after the main-linecircuit is broken until the motor-Wheel has accomplished the distancewhich it is permitted to travel independently of the slip-wheel thatkeeps by its spring-rider the local circuit closed. This independentaction of local circuit also accomplishes the space between let ters andwords.

When the spring-rider of the slip-Wheel forms contact with the insulatedend of the stop-of the motor-wheel the local circuit is broken. Theinterruption of the main circuit by the contact of the needle with aninsulated vportion of the letter-ring produces the required spacingbetween the dots and dashes.

The simultaneous and continued Working of the local battery carries theneedle over the larger or shorter insulated or non-insulated portions,and secures thereby the repeated closing of the main circuit,independently of the key, until by the retraction of the needle throughthe recess at the end of the letter section the combined action of mainand local battery is interrupted, and the motion of local motorthereafter ceases, as soon as it has accomplished the distance that itis suffered to move independently. The rapid and automatic sending andregistering of any letter by the mere depression of a letter-key avoidsmistakes, simplifies and expedites the work of the operators, andincreases the transmitting capacity of telegraph-lines.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. In an automatic telegraph key and register thecombination of a fixed 1etter-ring, divided into insulated andnon-insulated por-' tions and thrown into the main circuit byspring-keys and radial needles, with a local or motor battery actuatingthe needles, and being thrown into circuit by the closing of maincircuit and continued during and after the interruption of the latter,to transmit magnetic impulses, according to the divisions or signs ofthe letter-ring, and establish the spaces between the same,substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an automatic telegraph key and register the combination of a fixedletter-ring, divided into insulated and non-insulated portions, withlettered spring-keys and a series of radial needle-arms or tongues, saidletterring and needles being the poles of the main battery to establishmain-line circuit, substantially in the manner and for the purpose setforth.

3. In an automatic telegraphkey and register a fixed letter-ring,provided with the characters of the Morse alphabet, formed of insulatedand non-insulated portions, the charactors of each letter beingseparated from the adjoining letters by recesses or slots, substantiallyas set forth.

4. The fulcrumed armature-lever of main line or relay magnet, providedwith registering-stylus at one end and stop-pawl at the other end, incombination with a spring-acted slip-wheel for releasing slip-wheel andestablishing, by closing of main line, circuit of local 6. Thecombination of the spring-acted and recessed slip-wheel, having aspring-rider, with a partially insulated and non-insulated stop of themotor-wheel, revolved intermittently by the magnets of the localbattery, to establish circuit of the same on release of stop-pawl ofmain-line armature, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of the stop pawl of armature of main-line magnet withslip-wheel and rider, and the motor-wheel, having partially insulatedand'non-insulated stop, to retain slip-wheel and allow motion of motorand needle-wheels for a limited distance after mainline circuit isbroken, whereby the neccessary spaces in letters and between letters andwords are obtained, substantially as set forth.

L. S. GRANDALL. Witnesses:

T. B. MOsHER, PAUL GOEPEL.

